


Forbidden Fruit

by Heleentje



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Past life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-03
Updated: 2010-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:47:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28303308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heleentje/pseuds/Heleentje
Summary: Yubel likes oranges. Juudai is determined to get them, no matter what Yubel thinks about that.
Relationships: Yubel/Yuuki Juudai | Jaden Yuki
Kudos: 5





	Forbidden Fruit

**Author's Note:**

> This vaguely takes place in the same general timeline as the first chapter of [Five Times The Incarnation Of Darkness Scared Someone](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2345756/chapters/5172695), but reading that is not necessary to get this.
> 
> Edited 25/12/20.

"Yubel! Hey, Yubel!"

Yubel groaned. She sat up and looked out of the window into the dark night and then at Juudai, who was standing at the side of her bed. He looked much too cheerful for whatever godforsaken hour this was supposed to be.

“Juudai, go back to bed. If your father finds out you’re here, he’ll have my head.”

Juudai smiled the smile of someone who’d never once had to fear the temper of the king and flopped down on her bed, looking at her with big eyes. "No, he won't. Now come on, get up!"

"For what?" Yubel mumbled. She laid down again and tried to kick him off her bed. He let out an ‘oof’ but didn’t budge."I'm tired. Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

"No, it can't, they'll all be gone by tomorrow!" Juudai finally got up, but grabbed her arm in the process and hauled her up, bringing them face to face."You coming?"

“Whatever for?”

“It’s a surprise!”

Yubel sighed. When Juudai was in this kind of mood, he never gave up until he got his way. Perks of being a prince, probably. You whine long enough and you get what you want. Yubel couldn’t really complain. Being Juudai’s friend was no hardship and she got some of those perks by proxy.

“Fine.” She pulled her arm loose and got out of bed, to Juudai’s delight. She considered her night shirt. Juudai, of course, was fully dressed aside from his cloak. His father made him put it on every morning and Juudai tore it off the moment the king had his back turned. Juudai was sure his father didn’t know. Yubel was equally sure that he did.

"Are you going to let me change?"

"Of course! Why would you go outside like that?" Juudai said, as if he hadn’t been the one to wake her from an excellent rest. He picked up a tunic and shorts from her drawer and tossed them at her. She caught them and put them on quickly, briefly pausing to smooth out the wrinkles and take her shoes from under the bed.

"Ready now?" Juudai asked. Yubel nodded and followed him out, closing the door carefully behind her and locking it. It wouldn't be the first time someone tried to break into her room; being the prince's best friend did come with certain disadvantages. She was still a street kid at heart and not everyone was happy about that.

By the time she'd locked the door, Juudai was already halfway through the corridor, moving quickly but quietly. His lessons were finally paying off. Yubel didn’t get those lessons. She stumbled after him, making more noise than she would have allowed herself to get away with even a year ago. Juudai led her into the courtyard. A few soldiers were standing guard at the entrance gate, but they were clearly half asleep and they avoided them easily.

"Over here," Juudai whispered, leading her to the wall around the castle orchard. Yubel threw him a questioning look, but he just shook his head and tried to open the gate, frowning when he found it locked. He considered the wall for a moment. It wasn't a high wall, and a few of the tree branches were sticking out on the other side. He tested the branch of an apple tree, pulled himself up and turned his head to look at Yubel.

"Give me a hand?"

Yubel sighed and walked over, letting him hang just a bit longer than strictly necessary before putting both of her hands under his foot so he could use the foothold to climb onto the wall. Once there, he reached out a hand, which she ignored. Instead, she quickly pulled herself up on the same branch and climbed onto the wall. Juudai rolled his eyes at her.

"Yeah, you're a better climber than me, no need to rub it in.”

"I'm not," she lied. "Now what did you want to show me?"

Juudai immediately cheered up and jumped down into the orchard. It was nearly harvest time and most of the trees were laden with fruit. Yubel resisted the urge to pick an apple. There had been days when any fruit-bearing tree had been free game, but the fruit from these trees would land on her plate soon enough. Juudai took her arm again and tugged her along past the apple trees and in-between the cherry trees which had already lost most of their fruit. He only stopped again when they arrived at the orange trees.

"You like oranges, don't you?" he said, letting go of her arm and taking her hand instead.

She did. Oranges had been a rare treat before she came to live at the castle and these trees, overflowing with fruit, were almost enough to break her earlier resolve. But they'd be harvested soon enough and then she would get to eat them whenever she wanted _without_ getting in trouble for taking them.

"Papa said that they’re going to start harvesting tomorrow," Juudai said, leading her to the biggest orange tree in the garden, a huge tree that was older than the king. "But you know, they always keep the best oranges for themselves, so I thought we'd get some first!"

As if anyone would keep the best oranges from the royal family. The thought alone would probably warrant expulsion from the palace. But before Yubel could point that out, Juudai had already made a bid for the lowest branch.

"Juudai, we can't climb it, it's too dangerous!" Yubel said, but Juudai pulled himself up and climbed higher into the tree, inspecting the oranges as he went.

"Come on, Juudai," she tried again. Why was he even climbing it? _She_ was the better climber here. "You don't even like oranges!"

" _You_ like oranges," Juudai insisted. "Here, catch."

She caught the first orange he threw, then the second and the third. He had good taste; the oranges he'd chosen looked flawless. She was tempted to eat them there and then.

"Anyone there?"

Oh no. Yubel threw a frantic look over her shoulder. They had been too loud and now the palace guards were coming to check out the source of the commotion. How had they been too loud? Had she really forgotten so easily what it was like to be chased?

"Juudai, get down here!” she hissed. Juudai looked down at her and shook his head quickly.

"Just one more. Look, that one!" he pointed at one of the highest branches of the tree, but the orange he wanted to pick was one Yubel couldn't see. She only saw him stretching further and further to reach it.

"Be careful!" She didn't bother to keep her voice down. The guards had heard them anyway and she just wanted to get Juudai out of the tree as quickly as possible. "You're going to—“

She never got to finish her sentence. Juudai reached out even further, made a frantic grab for the orange and lost his balance, falling down twenty feet just as the guards came from behind the cherry trees. Yubel dropped the oranges and lunged for him. She managed to grab his arm before he hit the ground, but it only made both of them fall, Juudai half on top of her. She gasped for breath as the guards realized who was in the garden and ran over.

"Your Highness! Are you alright?" the first guard asked, helping Juudai off Yubel. Yubel recognized him as one of the guards at the gate, a kind man who often let them through even when they weren't allowed out.

Juudai accepted his help, but cried out when he tried to rest his weight on his right foot. Yubel was by his side in an instant. One of the other guards took his other arm, and together the guards managed to get him back to the palace, Yubel trailing anxiously behind them. Someone had already woken up the king, because he was in Juudai's room when they got back, looking none too happy. Juudai stiffened a bit, but the king only gestured for the doctor, a young woman who had clearly just been woken up. She hurried to help Juudai onto the bed and get a closer look at his foot.

"It's just sprained," she announced after a few minutes, and Yubel sagged in relief. "But His Highness should walk as little as possible until he's recovered."

The king nodded, and Yubel saw the same relief she felt in his eyes. "Juudai, what were you thinking? Why did you go out in the middle of the night?"

"You said there were oranges.” Juudai showed no remorse, though his foot clearly hurt him. "And Yubel likes oranges."

Yubel felt the eyes of everyone in the room on her. She shrunk back, wishing dearly that Juudai hadn't mentioned her.

"It was my idea.” Juudai quickly came to her defense when he noticed the accusing looks. "She didn't want to, it's not her fault. And at least I got the oranges, right, Yubel?"

"Ah." Yubel had completely forgotten about the oranges he’d tossed her. "I'm sorry, I dropped them…"

Juudai frowned and Yubel felt worse than ever. He'd gone through all that trouble to get her her favorite fruit and she had lost it. But after just a few seconds, Juudai's frown changed into a smile again.

"That's okay," he said, getting up as far as his foot allowed him. "Here!"

He triumphantly got out another orange and tossed it at her. Yubel almost dropped it in surprise. "You actually got it?"

"I did! Told you I'd get it," he said, his smile now distinctly self-satisfied. "Now you have to eat that!"

"Yubel, a word please?" the king asked before she could reply. Just as well. Telling off the prince in front of his father the king probably wouldn’t have gone over well. Yubel swallowed. The king’s eyes revealed nothing. He ignored Juudai's protests and left the room. Yubel trailed after him with a last glance at Juudai, who, for the first time since the start of this whole mess, actually looked worried.

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry," she began once the king had closed the door to Juudai's room behind him, but he waved her apologies away.

"You weren't to blame. I know my son. You tried your best to stop him." The king hummed, deep in thought. "I wonder if I should get him a guardian."

"With all due respect, your Majesty," Yubel said. "But I think Juudai would try to run away from any guardian you appointed."

The king eyed her speculatively. Yubel shivered and pretended not to notice. "Yes, I believe you're quite right. You are the only person he stays close to. I wonder…" He shook his head. "No, never mind. Go on, go back. He's probably missing you already."

"Thank you, your Majesty." Yubel curtsied and entered the room again. Several guards left the room when she went in, leaving her only with Juudai, the doctor, and the head of the royal guard.

“Was he angry at you?” Juudai asked. Yubel shook her head and Juudai sagged. He grinned again and pointed at the orange she was still holding. Had been holding throughout her two-sentence conversation with the king. Gods, Yubel wanted to go back to bed.

"You have to eat it," Juudai said. "I risked my life for that. I could've been dead!"

"You don't look very dead to me," Yubel replied, but she obligingly peeled the orange and ate the first slice. It was absolutely delicious, just as she'd expected. “It’s good,” she admitted. “Thanks.”

"Can I have a slice?”

“You don't like oranges," Yubel said, but sat down on the bed and held out a part for him anyway. He didn't take it.

“You have to feed me. I can't do it myself, I'm hurt!"

Yubel snorted. "Last time I checked, you don’t eat with your feet."

He only gave her a wide-eyed look. She sighed and fed him the piece, aggressively tuning out the doctor’s snickering behind her. Juudai ate the piece slowly and smiled at her when he finished it.

"It's good. I can see why you like it."

"As long as you don't go climbing in any more trees to get them," Yubel admonished, but she smiled back. The doctor coughed softly behind them.

"His Highness should rest now," she announced. Yubel got up reluctantly and looked back at Juudai. He waved her away.

"Go on, go to bed! I'll be fine. Besides, I woke you up anyway. You need to sleep too."

And whose fault was that? She shook her head and headed for the door, throwing him a look over her shoulder. “Take care of yourself. And Juudai?"

"Yeah?"

“Just let me do the climbing next time.”


End file.
